Dragon Ball AF
was the subject of an April Fool's joke in 1997 (following the end of ''Dragon Ball GT), which concerned a fourth anime installment of the ''Dragon Ball'' series. It has since gained a cult following, been the basis for various fiction and manga interpretations by fans, and has even resulted in a dōjinshi series produced by Toyble and soon a pilot episode created by BloodyPooProductions. Lack of validity Within the realm of officially-licensed properties (which are produced by or with the approval of Bird Studio, Shueisha, and Toei Animation), Dragon Ball AF simply does not exist. Any AF dōjinshi, should they even exist, occupy the same legal status as fan fiction and fan art. There has been no new Dragon Ball material from Japan since 1997, other than the perfect edition manga, the new movie, Dragonball Kai, and the Dragon Box DVD box sets, which collect previously-existing material with some new artwork, but no new story arcs. Toriyama has publicly stated that he has no intentions of continuing the series (which he finished in 1995), though he has drawn a parody series, Neko Majin Z, in which several Dragon Ball characters appear, as well as a one-shot rumor crossover between Dragon Ball and One Piece, in collaboration with One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, entitled Cross Epoch. The Dragon Ball fansite Daizenshuu EX has created a specifically-designed list of the features of AF that should disprove its existence to the especially obstinate. These are: :1. Lack of advertising in Japanese media. :* This point includes print sources (such as the Japanese Shonen Jump), TV ads, and official Japanese websites. Since Dragon Ball is well-known throughout Japan, a sequel series would not be released unpromoted, nor would it go unnoticed by the Japanese population. Daizenshuu EX took advantage of this fact, however, as part of its 2004 April Fool's joke, creating both a "print ad" and a "TV commercial" from other sources. This material, bereft of its context, has since been cited as "evidence" for the existence of AF. :2. Lack of official announcements by Toriyama, Shueisha, or Toei Animation. :* Tying in to the idea of "advertising" above, none of the official Japanese sources of Dragon Ball material have come forward with any news on the scale of AF. Such a series would warrant at least a comment, if not an elaborately-staged introduction, from one or more of these entities. Of course, this has not stopped fans from claiming that such an announcement has already taken place (though there is no record of one ever occurring). :3. Lack of articles, previews, or reviews of the series, in Japanese magazines or online blogs. :* Note, however, that some Japanese fans have taken to commenting on the AF phenomenon outside of Japan, and this may be regarded as commentary on the "series" itself by those who do not speak Japanese. Indeed, the language barrier has often been a source of obfuscation, both for those who would believe the rumors, and those whose goal is to spread them further. :4. Lack of scans from manga releases or screen captures/movie clips from new episodes. :* While many "faked" images (generally produced as humorous commentary on the rumors, or outside of AF but incorporated into it accidentally) do exist, there are no raw manga scans or unaltered screenshots available, anywhere. Particularly good artwork may be mistakenly viewed as "promotional art," but no media from within the manga/anime exists. Therefore, the burden of proof is on those who claim they own the series to put forth something they cannot possibly have (calls for such individuals to show whatever material they have are usually met by excuses or ad-hominem attacks). :5. Lack of scanlations or fansubs. :* Ethical and legal issues aside, a series as popular as Dragon Ball would not long remain without a fan-translated version. The methods of digital distribution are such that it would be virtually impossible not to find such materials, even in a casual search. Neither of these two things exists, however. :6. Lack of official merchandise. :* Dragon Ball is, and always has been, heavily marketed commercially. In Japan, a multitude of items, from action figures, to snacks, soundtracks, stationery, desks, and even children's eyedrops, have been sold as Dragon Ball products or endorsed by characters from the series. The lack of official AF merchandise, then, is a strong indicator that such a series does not in fact exist. :7. Official denial by both Viz Media and FUNimation. :* Such denials would run counter to the financial interests of both of these companies (the distributors of Dragon Ball manga and anime in the United States) were the ruto be true. It is highly unlikely that they would categorically dismiss a property that could make them millions of dollars. In addition to this information, the signature call letters of the series, "AF", are a fairly solid give-away that it was all an 'A'pril 'F'ools gag. Toyble Plot Overview Xicor: The Saiyan God Although no official merchandise has come out for "Dragon Ball AF", there have been many new Dragon Ball dōjinshi, such as Toyble's Dragon Ball AF, which is based on many of the rumors made about the series and artwork heavily based on AF fan-art and actual artwork from the manga. Taking place after Dragon Ball GT, the story goes as far back to when Frieza was defeated by Goku, where it is revealed that Frieza's mother is the Western Supreme Kai (implying that she survived her battle with Majin Buu, despite being believed to have been killed). Apparently, Western Supreme Kai created Frieza with King Cold to create the ultimate warrior, but seeing Frieza defeated, she begins her search to find the one who had done this, showing little concern with her son. Cooler also appears, where he is portrayed as caring brother, whereas in Cooler's Revenge, he is shown to be very critical of his brother. Several years later, the world has been deprived of Goku and the Dragon Balls, but peace has been restored. Goten attends Orange Star University with his brother Gohan as his teacher and also becomes the third Great Saiyaman . When a scuffle happens in the nearby city, Goten checks it out and transforms to his Saiyaman state, finding Emperor Pilaf, Shu, and Mai doing a stick-up. Before Goten can do anything, a new superhero, Papayaman (actually Uub) arrives and easily dispatches of him. As Papayaman is praised by the citizens, Goten finds a survey that shows the town's "Top 100" favorite superheroes (in which we can see many characters from various Akira Toriyama's works), and finds himself being their least favorite. Disappointed, Goten heads home. Meanwhile, 2 Space Pods have landed in a wasteland, with the Western Supreme Kai emerging with her son, Xicor (based on the "Xicor" rumor of AF. Xicor's design is heavily based off of Dragon Ball AF fan-art). The two immediately head to find Earth's Greatest Power and come across Goten, whom they nearly kill and cause a great shockwave around the whole planet. Gohan senses the power and comes to his brother's safety, questioning who Goten's attackers are. Xicor reveals himself as Gohan's brother and son of the Western Supreme Kai (implying that the Western Supreme Kai fulfilled her goal to find Goku and somehow made love to him), greatly shocking Gohan. Vegeta and Trunks arrive as well to combat the invaders. Xicor then demonstrates his power by destroying half of the Earth. An enraged Vegeta battles Xicor but despite his Super Saiyan 4 (we can notice that Vegeta didn't need Blutz Waves to transform this time, since after this form is attained once, it can be accessed at any point), he is no match. As Vegeta is pummeled, Gohan's tail suddenly appears and Gohan transforms into Super Saiyan 4 (he may got his tail back somehow and achieves this transformation while training). Super Saiyan 4 Gohan, Vegeta, and Super Saiyan Trunks battle Xicor but despite their combined power and Gohan's attempt to call Goku (due to Goku being in a sealed world, the attempt fails even though something had caught Goku's attention), they are ultimately no match for Xicor and waste all their power. As they fought Xicor, in the sealed world Goku is in, Goku and Pikkon are training together, and as they spar, Goku is shown to have achieved the Super Saiyan 5 form. During his allies on Earth's struggle with Xicor, he manages to receive a small piece of Gohan's call, but due to being in a sealed world, Goku does not arrive. With all their energy exhausted, the heroes stand no chance for Xicor. However, before Xicor can act again, Kibitoshin appears and attempts to seal Xicor with the "Kai-Kai Divine Sealing Wave" into the Z-Sword, but the Western Supereme intervenes and manages to prevent the sealing. Before Xicor can destroy the sword, Gohan picks it up and attempts to attack Xicor with it, but is actually distracting him, buying time for Dende to restore Kibitoshin's strength. Kibitoshin attempts to seal Xicor once again and despite Western Supreme Kai attempting to interfere once again, they succeed. An enraged Western Supreme Kai attacks the heroes but before she can undo the seal, Vegeta attempts to stop her. Even though Vegeta tires out before he can do any damage, the Western Supreme Kai was distracted long enough for Kibitoshin to sneak up on her with a surprise attack, bodylocking her. Warping into another planet, Kibitoshin self-destructs, apparently killing himself and the Western Supreme Kai, his sister, also known as Lila. The self destruction catches the attention of the heroes and even Piccolo in Hell. Back on Earth, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten are healed by Dende. Before they can celebrate their victory and mourn Kibitoshin's death, Xicor breaks free from the sealed sword and kills Vegeta with a single energy beam to the heart. As Trunks cries over his dead father, Gohan and Goten attack Xicor, but are easily defeated. Trunks joins in the fight, eager to avenge his father, but to no avail. As Xicor prepares to kill Trunks next, Goku appears out of nowhere and blasts Xicor, critically injuring him. Goku explains that The Grand Kai gave him special permission to return to earth to help with the fight. Goku then transforms into his Super Saiyan 4 state and battles Xicor. At first, Xicor seems to have the upperhand in his SSJ5 form, but hearing this, Goku states that Xicor cant be a SSJ5, because Goku himself is one. Apparently, Xicor is not really a Super Saiyan 5, but only believes he is because he is indeed stronger than a Super Saiyan 4. Xicor doesn't believe Goku and thinks he is bluffing, but Goku then transforms, leaving Xicor speechless and the others mesmerized. SSJ5 Goku battles Xicor and at first the battle seems even, but noticing the planet falling apart around them, Goku teleports himself and Xicor to a distant planet where they can continue their battle. Goku and Xicor battle on, with Goku gaining the upper hand in the fight. Xicor becomes enraged, claiming that he is part god and should be the most powerful being in the universe. In a desperate attempt to win, Xicor resorts to destroying himself along with Goku in one final explosion. Afterwards, Goku is revealed to be alive and completely unfazed by Xicor's attack, and Xicor is still alive but barely. Xicor enrages, wanting to know why he isn't the strongest before finally dying from his wounds. Goku returns to Earth where he says his goodbyes to his sons and departs back to the other world with Vegeta's body in his arms. Ezizo: Tyrant of the Other World The Preliminaries In the other world, Goku prepares for the upcoming tournament along with Pikkon, Piccolo, and Vegeta. As the many contestants arrive for the preliminaries, Goku meets a demon named Ezizo who wants to defeat the legendary SSJ5. The preliminaries begin, and Goku is matched against Rami, a powerful warrior who hates Saiyans. Goku fights Rami, and over the course of the battle learns that Rami's entire race was destroyed by the Saiyans and he was later killed by King Vegeta himself when he tried to avenge his people. Goku defeats Rami, and in the end convinces Rami that not all Saiyans, like him, are ruthless killers. Rami parts ways with Goku on good terms, promising that they would meet again during the next tournament. In the second round of the preliminaries, Ezizo is paired against Pikkon. Ezizo explains that he must win at all costs in order to fight Goku. Pikkon states that he is also interested in fighting Goku again, and the battle begins. At first, Pikkon is easily taking the upper hand in the fight, leading Ezizo to become more and more desperate to win. Finally, Ezizo attacks Pikkon with his secret weapon, a sword that can kill not only living beings, but those who are already dead in the other world as well. Pikkon is impaled and slowly dies at the hands of the demon tyrant. Goku stops the fight and mourns over Pikkon as he dies. Goku then asks Ezizo what will happen to him, and Ezizo states that if he kills someone in the other world, they become erased and no longer exist. Goku transforms into SSJ5 and attacks Ezizo, but he is stopped by the Grand Kai, who says that as much as he hates it, killing in the tournament is not against the rules. Ezizo walks away, telling Goku that their fight will come soon enough. The next round of the preliminaries pits Vegeta against Piccolo. The two seem to be evenly matched, and Piccolo taunts Vegeta for becoming so weak over the years. Vegeta transforms to SSJ4 and battles on. Piccolo reveals that he has become more powerful because he has merged with Guru, who he had met in the afterlife. Now with four Namekians in his body, Piccolo over powers Vegeta. Vegeta counters with his Final Flash attack, and both are knocked out of the ring. Before the counter can hit 10, Vegeta steps back into the ring and is declared the winner. Piccolo walks away, dissatisfied with his loss. The Semi-Finals The semi-finals begin with Goku against Vegeta. Goku transforms into SSJ4, and Vegeta does the same. The SSJ4 warriors begin to battle and at the start the two seem equally matched. Goku comments on how strong Vegeta has become, and Vegeta replies that he has been waiting for this moment for years to come. Vegeta takes the upper hand, and becomes annoyed that Goku is holding back. Telling Goku to give him a real fight, Goku transforms into SSJ5 and continues his fight with Vegeta. Goku begins to take advantage of the fight and Vegeta becomes desperate to win. By powering up to levels beyond his ability, Vegeta starts to transform. Goku tries to stop Vegeta, who is reaching power levels that he won’t be able to handle, but Vegeta ignores him. Vegeta then transforms into a humanoid ape-like being and Goku states that Vegeta has become the negative version of the SSJ5. Someone who tries to attain the level of SSJ5 when they are not ready will draw on a negative side effect that leaves them nothing more than a rabid beast. Goku and Beast Vegeta begin fighting, with Goku trying to stop him before he can destroy everyone at the tournament. The Grand Kai stops the fight and tells Piccolo to assist Goku before Vegeta can hurt anyone. Goku and Piccolo work together and are able to restrain Vegeta until Goku is able to revert him back to his normal state. Afterwards, The Grand Kai resumes the fight and Vegeta is defeated by Goku the way he always wanted: at their best. Vegeta acknowledges that Goku is the more powerful warrior and departs from the tournament. During the second match, Ezizo battles a cloaked warrior who wants to battle Goku and claim the title of strongest warrior for himself. The cloaked fighter is later revealed to be Frieza, who plans to fight Goku and take vengeance upon him. Ezizo easily defeats Frieza and prepares for his coming battle with Goku. The Finals Goku and Ezizo enter the ring and prepare for their final battle. Ezizo explains that once he defeats Goku, he will take over all of the other world and soon the universe itself. Goku transforms into SSJ5 and tells Ezizo that he will never let that happen. The battle begins with Goku instantly gaining the upper hand so Ezizo uses his sword on Goku, who easily dodges it and blasts Ezizo with a Kamehameha wave. Ezizo is critically injured and left paralyzed from pain. Goku tells him that he has won, but Ezizo explains that he was only warming up. Ezizo transforms into his ultimate form, becoming Super Ezizo. With his new power, Ezizo easily defeats Goku with a one hit knock out. Ezizo is declared the winner and then resorts to destroying the entire stadium, killing everyone in it except for Grand Kai, Piccolo, Vegeta, Rami, and Goku. They team up to fight Ezizo, but are all defeated. Grand Kai then battle Ezizo himself. Revealing that he was once the strongest warrior in the universe, Ezizo becomes interested in the Grand Kai and the battle begins. Grand Kai is revealed to be evenly matched with Ezizo, who becomes infuriated that someone is equal to him. Ezizo continues to fight the Grand Kai, and Piccolo and Vegeta come to the conclusion that if they help the Grand Kai, they may be able to defeat Ezizo. But before they can help, three mysterious fighters appear in Vegeta and Piccolo's way. The three fighters are revealed to be Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. Cell states that if Ezizo takes over the other world, they will be allowed to run free and escape back into the real world, so they have decided to help him. Vegeta battles Frieza and Cell and Piccolo battles Buu. Easily over powering Frieza and Cell, the two transform together to battle Vegeta. Now Cellza, Vegeta is beaten and over powered. Piccolo and Buu seem to be evenly matched and the Grand Kai continues to over power Ezizo. Vegeta and Piccolo decide to team up and first defeat Buu, and then together battle Cellza. Proving to be more powerful then the combined villains, Buu absorbs Cellza and becomes Majin Cellza. Vegeta and Piccolo are then defeated, but before Majin Cellza can move in for the kill, Goku awakes and saves them in his SSJ5 form. Goku battles Majin Cellza and defeats him without breaking a sweat and then heads off to help Grand Kai battle Ezizo. Seeing Goku re-enter the fight, Ezizo becomes worried and resorts to his secret weapon: another transformation. Ezizo transforms into Final Ezizo and defeats Grand Kai. SSJ5 Goku battles Ezizo and is still unable to defeat the evil demon. Ezizo eventually wins the fight and escapes the other world by entering a dimensional rift which takes him to earth. Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo race after him. Return To Earth On Earth, Goten and Trunks sense a powerful force approaching Earth. Ezizo then appears before them, and notices Goten's appearance is similar to Goku. He asks if Goten knows Goku, and he replies that Goku is his father. Ezizo becomes interested in him and they begin to battle. Trunks races to help Goten, but is knocked out of the way with a single hit. Goten is easily defeated by Ezizo, who states to Goten "like father, like son". Gohan then appears and tells Ezizo that he is Goku's oldest son and that if he wants a challenge, then to fight him. Ezizo battles Gohan, but the outcome is the same with Ezizo winning. Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta arrive on earth, where they sense Ezizo fighting Gohan, Goten, and Trunks. The three race off to fight Ezizo and defeat him once and for all. Goku arrives first, still in SSJ5 form, and battles Ezizo just as he is about to kill Gohan.Goku then suggests that Vegeta and him should use the SSJ4 fusion. Vegeta disagreees and then suggests a SSJ5 fusion. Goku disaggres, but Vegeta as was persistant. Then finally overwhelmed by Vegeta's continuas nagging, they preform the fusion dance in Goku's SSJ5 state, and Vegeta's NSSJ5 state. they then become SSJ5 Gogeta, overpower Ezizo. They are about to defaet Ezizo with their ultimate blast, x10 Big Bang Kamehameha, but suddenly they reverte back to their individual SSJ5 states. Yet it has only been 5 minutes. They then relize that they are containing too much power in thier SSJ5 states while using the fusion dance. So SSJ5 Goku then battles Ezizo alone, while Vegeta takes notice to SSJ4 Gohan's wounds along with Goten's' and SS Trunks wounds.In the haep of battle, Goku is still no match for Ezizo, but is unwilling to give up. Goten decides to make a wish to the eternal dragon to grant Goku the power he needs to defeat Ezizo once and for all. Calling upon the dragon, Goten makes the wish and Goku begins to go through a powerful transformation that leaves Ezizo stunned. Goku becomes completely transformed, revealing himself now to be at a higher level than SSJ5. Ezizo states that the SSJ5 form is the level of the gods and nothing can rise above it. Goku simply smirks and states that he must be stronger than a god now. Ezizo begins attacking with rapid energy waves, in which one hits Goten, knocking him out. Goku uses his Kamehameha wave and melts Ezizo's arm. Enraged, Ezizo informs SSJ6 Goku about the Self Destruct Tecnique. Ezizo uses his tecnique at the last moment, destoying the whole continent. Goku is injured but quickly heals with a senzu bean. Piccolo and Vegeta return to the other world, but Goku states that he defeated Ezizo, making him the tournament winner and meaning that he gets to spend one day on earth with his friends and family. Future Currently, Ezizo is the final installment in the DBAF series. The series is not over however, and there will be at least two more sagas to come. Trivia *Likely though pure coincidence, in The History of Trunks, there is a trash can with the only letters on it being "AF." References es:Dragon Ball AF Category:Dragon Ball media